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The suspected drunk driver that killed Edwin Jackson, the Indianapolis Colts linebacker who played at Westlake High and Georgia Southern, and his ride-share driver was an undocumented immigrant who had been twice deported, according to police. The men were killed early Sunday morning in Indianapolis.

Police identified the driver as Manuel Orrego-Savala. He gave police the alias of Alex Cabrera Gonsales after he was caught fleeing the scene of the accident on foot. Police say Orrego-Savala is a citizen of Guatemala who is in the United States illegally after being deported in 2007 and 2009.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released a statement Monday indicating that Orrego-Savala was convicted of driving under the influence in Redwood City, California, in 2005.

President Donald Trump called Orrego-Savala being in the country disgraceful and a preventable tragedy in a post on Twitter.

So disgraceful that a person illegally in our country killed @Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson. This is just one of many such preventable tragedies. We must get the Dems to get tough on the Border, and with illegal immigration, FAST!

The 26-year-old Jackson and 54-year-old Jeffrey Monroe were pronounced dead on the scene of the accident along I-70 around 4 a.m. Sunday morning. The two were out of their car on the emergency shoulder after Jackson had taken ill. Orrego-Savala hit the two in a Ford F-150 pickup truck. According to the police report, Orrego-Savala was suspected of being intoxicated and driving without a license.

Jackson was an inside linebacker who spent all of this season on injured reserve. Jackson joined the Colts late in the 2015 season but did not appear in a game. In 2016, he played in all 16 games, including eight starts. He was the third-leading tackler on the team with 66 tackles. He signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2015 as an undrafted free agent but did not appear in a game before joining the Colts.

Jackson was a walk-on at Georgia Southern after not being recruited out of high school. He rose up the depth chart and was eventually the team’s leading tackler as a senior. Jackson was also a Class 5A wrestling state championship finalist at 189 pounds at Westlake High.

About the Author

CHRIS VIVLAMORE
Chris Vivlamore has been a reporter and editor at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 2003.

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